I Don't Want to Die
by Cherylyn
Summary: After meeting Voldemort, Harry decides he wants to live. What better way than to convince Voldermort Harry would be worth more to him alive rather than dead? His plans take on a life of their own as Harry Struggles to keep up.
1. Chapter 1

I Don't Want to Die

Harry sat on his bed in the littlest bedroom of Privet Drive, and thought about what had happened to him at the end of his first year at Hogwarts.

Harry had come face to face with Voldemort. He was impressed. The man was no more than a spirit, yet still managed to ruin his life. How could anyone allow themselves to be possessed like that? The image of the Dark Lord protruding from the back of Quirrel's head was so disturbing he was still having nightmares about it.

The worst part was, Voldemort still wanted him dead. He was a crazy, psychotic killer, without a body even, yet was almost able to kill him anyway. Harry didn't know why Voldemort wanted him dead so badly, but he was sure of one thing. He didn't want to die.

The problem was, how do you keep yourself alive when someone so determined wanted you dead? He needed to think of something, some plan of action, that would keep Voldemort from killing him. Voldemort was not known for failing to kill those he wanted dead. How would an eleven year old boy stop him?

"Boy, UP!" Aunt Petunia shouted through his closed door. His room echoed with the sound of her pounding fists, then the click of her unlocking the door. He quietly left his room and started his day, hoping for inspiration.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing came to him while he was frying the bacon. It smelled so good, he took a chance and snuck a piece.

"Boy, here is a list of all the chores I want you to do today. They must all be done before supper this evening, or there will be nothing for supper for you! Am I understood?" Aunt Petunia looked as if she smelled something foul, but Harry could only smell the tasty bacon. Must be because she had to talk to him. Why did they hate magic so much? Maybe it was just him. He knew he was underweight, scrawny even, but he did try to be good. He wanted them to love him, but he would be satisfied if they would just stop being cruel.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," he replied with an even tone, hoping it would be enough to keep him from getting punished so early in the day. Hope springs eternal.

"Don't take that tone with me! I expect the flowerbeds to be done first, don't waste any time. I have company coming over for lunch, so I expect you to be done and in your room by the time they get here." She was really on a role. How would he get the rest of the chores done if he was in his room pretending he wasn't there? "After they leave, you will finish the list. Understood?" She said as she set the table.

Oh. If that was how it was going to be, he needed to be fortified. He snatched another piece of bacon, and wondered if Voldemort had been treated this way as a child. It would explain why he hated muggles, but not why he wanted them dead.

After cleaning up the kitchen, he started on the flower beds. He pulled a weed. Did Voldemort have parents? He pulled another weed. Did he want his parents to love him, like Harry wanted his Aunt and Uncle to love him? He pulled another weed. At least his relatives didn't want him dead. They tolerated him. He pulled another weed. Could he get Voldemort to tolerate him? No good, he wanted Voldemort to not want to kill him anymore.

He turned on the water hose, and wondered a bit more. If there was someone he hated, what would it take to not want to kill them? What would be important enough to Voldemort to make him spare Harry, even if he did hate him? Harry hated Malfoy and his pureblood crap, but he didn't want him dead. The water hose sputtered.

Pureblood. Voldemort was hung up on pureblood elitism the same as the Malfoys were. What if he could convince the evil Dark Lord that he was a pureblood too? He resumed watering the flowerbed. Nah, no good. It might make Voldemort tolerate him, but Voldemort killed anyone who was in his way. If he could make Voldemort believe he was a pureblood, he might be given another chance to change sides, but Harry knew he wouldn't join him. He turned the water off, and went inside, his mind still in chaos.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was sitting on his bed again, thinking. Getting Voldemort to tolerate him was a good place to start. In order to do that, he would have to convince him he was worth tolerating. He would have to convince the evil one he was from a family worth sparing. What a thought. The only family someone so evil would consider sparing would be his own.

His own. What did Harry know about Voldemort's family? Time for some research. Harry grabbed a quill and piece of paper, then wondered who he could ask that would keep his questions to themselves, and actually answer them. With a burst of inspiration, he began to write.

_Malfoy,_

_I hate you , you hate me. Now that we have gotten past that, I need a few questions answered. If you answer them for me, I promise to never tell anyone I got my information from you. No one would believe we could civil long enough anyway. If you are curious, write me back._

_I may need to actually meet with you for this, so consider that before you answer. To make you even more interested, I think you might like to be the only one to know what Harry Potter gets up to when Dumbledore isn't around to keep him in line._

_Write back soon, and don't hurt my owl._

_Harry Potter_

With a satisfied smile, Harry Potter attached the letter to Hedwig, apologised for sending her to the Malfoy spawn, opened his window, and sent her on her way. There was nothing for it but to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing left for it but to wait. Until Hedwig returned, he could look through his history book. It had a chapter about pureblood beliefs in it. Come to think of it, what if Malfoy wouldn't play? Maybe Ron would be able to tell him more. Since Hedwig was gone, would another magical animal be able to send a letter?

'_Slither, can you take letters to people like my owl can?' _Harry asked his snake friend. He had found him in the garden two years ago, and snuck him everywhere he went. The snake said he had been drawn to his magic, and that he should not tell anyone about him unless he had to. Slither was unique, able to make himself disappear, something Harry wished he could do more than once.

'_No, Master, I cannot. I haven't yet grown my wings.' _The little multi-colored snake stretched up to look Harry in the eyes, waiting.

Harry felt his heart skip a beat. _'Does that mean you can, or would be able to, if you had wings?'_ It was a magical snake obviously, so why should it not be able to do magic? _'Is there something I can do to help you grow wings?'_

It looked as if Slither actually smiled. _'Of course, Master. You need only give me a burst of your magic, and I will mature early. I can do anything a Phoenix can do, but I not bound by the same rules of propriety. I am a descendant of The First, the greatest snake to have ever lived.'_ Harry knew when he first saw the snake he wanted to keep it. Now he blessed the foresight he had had to listen to it and kept it secret from everyone. He became suspicious when he started Hogwarts and realized no one else had a pet snake.

Harry carefully picked up the iridescent snake, setting it on his lap. _'Do I just will you to grow wings?' _He had read of something similar, but it was on enchanting objects. _'How will I know when you have enough? I don't want to hurt you.' _Hermione had never said anything about giving magic to animals. Wouldn't everyone have a magical pet if it were possible?

Slither wrapped himself around Harry's arm, then leveled his head with Harry's. _'Now, Master; think of sending me magic and it will happen.' _He wasn't so sure it would that easy, but he was willing to try. Focusing on the eyes of his snake, he pulled on his magic, then pushed it toward Slither. The resulting light made him fall back on the bed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After his eyes adjusted to normal light again, he looked for the snake. What he saw make his eyes open completely while his mouth fell open. _'You are so beautiful,' _he spoke softly. _'How do you feel?'_

His snake had been transformed. He was at least five feet long, still shiny and iridescent, but it was the clear set of wings coming out of his back that had him mesmerized. _'If I had known, I would have sent you to Malfoy. There is no way he would blow me off if he had seen you. Maybe I could even get him to be nice to me. Well, I would settle for tolerate from him. I don't think he knows how to do nice.'_

'_Master, I could bite him for you. I could kill him, paralyze him, or just cause him great pain. Whatever you desire.' _Harry had to stop and think about that. Having such power was giving him a head rush. Would having a snake like this make Voldemort change his mind about wanting Harry dead? It was well known Malfoy's Dad had been a death eater, and since Voldemort was still out there, maybe if Malfoy knew his Dad would know, then the Dark Lord would know. Would it be enough to spare his life?

It might be enough, but more insurance couldn't hurt. What else could he come up with? So far, if he could convince Voldemort he was a pure blood and had a pet snake, er snake thingy with wings, maybe he would think he was valuable. Well, Hermione might know more about purebloods, but Ron was one so he would send him a letter first. Harry had to know what a pure blood was first before he could act like one. Slither could deliver it for him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Weasley was reading Quidditch Weakly when Harry's snake arrived with a letter. Ron stared, then backed slowly away from the window. He didn't realize he had been yelling until Ginny appeared at his room door.

"What are you making all that noise for?" She followed his eyes to the window, where she saw the prettiest creature. "Oh, how lovely!" she cried. "What is it?" She turned to Ron. "It's carrying a letter. Did you know?"

Ron removed his hand from over his heart, then turned to Ginny. "Should open the window, yeah?"

"Fastest way to find out who it's from. Maybe even find out what it is." Ginny was curious, so she opened the window herself. She snorted when Ron tripped over his chair backing away, but swallowed the laugh as he stood up quickly and straightened himself out.

"Right, then. Come here, pretty thing." He motioned Slither over, and carefully untied the letter. As soon as he was done, it swirled up and disappeared. Ginny thought his confused look was priceless. "Well," he said, "must be important. Never seen such a delivery animal before."

"Never heard of one either, I bet," added Ginny. She made a motion with her hands. "What does it say?"

Ron gave her a quick glare, but opened the letter anyway. He was just as curious as Ginny. He stood still as he read it. He looked up at Ginny, surprised. "It's from Harry. He wants to know what it means to be a pureblood."

Ginny sat down slowly. "Do you think he means the 'purebloods are better than everyone else' or 'pureblood magic is stronger'?"

Ron looked thoughtful. "He says he wants to try and convince 'You Know Who' not to kill him, and he wants to start by convincing him that he is a pureblood." Ron shuffled a little bit. "Wonder what it's like to worry about it, Gin." He snapped the letter, having made his decision. "Well, he'll need more than just pureblood stuff to convince the Dark Lord. He is pure evil. And Harry, well, he just doesn't have any evil in him. He'll need to learn how to act evil to pull this off."

He focused on Ginny. "Over your crush on him yet?" She tucked her head to the side as her cheeks turned red. "Better promise now that you won't betray either of us. Promise, Gin!"

She nodded her head eagerly. "Now scram and keep Mom busy for a while. I need to do some research for Harry." She skipped eagerly down the stairs as Ron headed for his Dad's study. He couldn't believe he was going to crack a book over vacation. Well, anything for his best friend. No need to tell Hermione, though.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. Thank you JKR for the chance to play with your characters.

Genre: Don't know, what do you want to happen? I'm making this up as I go.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

There was nothing in his history books about Voldemort, other than that he is supposed to be the heir of Salazar Slytherin himself. That couldn't be right, because the family trait, the power passed down from parent to child only in the Slytherin line, was reported as Parseltongue.

The ability to speak the language of the snakes. _'What do you think, Slither? It says only the heirs of Slytherin can talk to snakes. Wonder what Professor Dumbledore would say if he knew about you?' _Harry was curious, but he didn't believe it. One thing for sure, if he could convince Voldemort they were related, and he was really big on pure blood-ism, then he had his ticket to life.

He supposed this meant that his muggleborn Mother was more than she appeared to be. His Dad was supposed to be a descendant of Godric Griffindor, so his snakishness must have come from his Mom. How could she have been a descendent of Slytherin and nobody knew it? There must be some way to find out. Maybe Malfoy would know how to find out, if he would just write back. Time to pull out the big guns. _'Slither, I want you to take another letter for me. Feel up to the task?'_

Slither looked at Harry with satisfaction. _'There is none better. Owls have nothing on me.'_

Harry laughed. _'You could never be accused of modesty, that's for sure. I want you to use that special attitude of yours and impress Malfoy. I want him to want to help me, and I think he has enough snake-like qualities to appreciate yours. Think you can do it?'_

'_As if you had to ask. He will be kissing the hem of your robes before I am through. Write that letter.'_

Harry stopped short. Kissing the him of his robes? What did Slither mean? He didn't want subservience from anyone, he just wanted to live long enough to feel the thrill of a snog in the astronomy tower. That smug snake knew more than he was telling, and Harry felt a jolt of fear for the first time. What if ability to find trouble was working rights now?

Too late to stop now. No one was strong enough to defeat Volemort, so he had to try to save himself.

He wrote the letter.

_Malfoy,_

_I need your help. I will get it even if I have to force you. Look closely at the snake who delivered this letter. He is my friend, the first friend I have ever had. He tells me he is poisonous. Want to prove it?_

_Find out how to trace a family tree. There seems to be a few hidden branches in mine. The snake stays until you have something for me, but he is not a patient creature._

_I'm sure you already know I shouldn't be able to talk to snakes. Think about how I felt about it when I found out it is a Slytherin trait. Professor Dumbledor told me I was a Griffindor. When I asked him why the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin House, he said our choices define us._

_I want to know what my choices are._

_Start looking._

_Harry Potter_

Harry read the letter to Slither, explained what he wanted him to do, then sent him on his way. He hoped Ron was faring better, then wondered what he would think of all of this. There would probably be fireworks when Ron found out about Malfoy, but this had to be done. Voldemort seemed real intent on getting a body, so time was of the essence. No time like the present to make a future.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco Malfoy was sitting at the table with his family, enjoying a meal while listening to his father talk about the corruption he was causing at the Ministy, when a beautiful snake with wings appeared above him.

He watched as his Father's mouth fell open, his hand freezing on the way to his glass. He turned to his mother to see her frozen in place, her face pale.

"Mother, Father, what is it?" He realized they were staring above his head. He slowly looked up, a bit worried about what he would find. His eyes opened wide, but he swallowed his fear when he noticed the letter. "Is that for me?" he asked in a shakey voice. He heard a hiss in reply as the snake landed on the table in front of him, knocking things around to accommodate his impressive size.

Slither raised his head, looking the Malfoy heir in the eyes, then slowly slid his tail with the letter to him. Even without words there was no way this could be misinterpreted.

Draco reached with an unsteady hand to remove the letter, finding himself trying to bolster his courage by talking. "You are a beautiful creature. Please help yourself to whatever you want on the table for your efforts." He had no idea his words were understood, and the courtesy was the deciding factor in his favor. You see, Slyther was ready to curse him to impress the importance of his mission. Now there was no need, the Malfoy boy was showing the last of The First proper respect.

The day could get no stranger for Malfoy. This letter was also from Potter. He hadn't told his Father about the first letter, thinking it was a prank. Eyeing the snake in front of him, he realized his mistake. Perhaps there was more to Potter than met the eye? He looked at his now composed Father. "It appears Potter has questions about his ancestry." He smiled at his Father as the idea began to appeal to him. "He would like my help in finding out just exactly who his family is."

Lucius Malfoy smiled back at his son as the possibilities began to run around in his head. "Perhaps we should help him out, my son. After all, no one wants to be in the 'dark' as to their heritage. Write him back and ask for a meeting. At his convenience, of course."

"Of course." Draco was feeling a bit smug. He was going to have the chance to be friends with Potter after all. His wonder at who Potter really was began to dawn on him as the snake circled his head on the way to the family library. There was no slytherin in Slytherin House who wouldn't know, but this letter proved Potter was clueless.

He was relishing the idea of telling him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron was worried. The books on genealogy all purebloods had were where they were supposed to be. They just had been tampered with. Only in the P's, and in the S's. He could find nothing about Harry's Dad or about Salazar Slytherin. Ron smelt a snake with a long white beard.

Since there was nothing else he could do, he sat down and wrote out all the unspoken laws purebloods followed. He had been hoping to ask his Dad for help, but after seeing the Book of Genealogy he realized that wasn't a good idea. Why had his Dad allowed such vandalism? He had been led to believe that these books were a precious heirloom, something to be treasured. He didn't even know if there was a way to repair it! It was deliberate. The information there was hidden from his family, so as a chess master he felt it had to be to hide the knowledge. What was in the book was supposed to be common knowledge to purebloods. Only the muggle born or muggle raised would not have access to the information. The only ones to be hiding the information from had to be Harry and Hermione. Who would care that Harry and Hermione knew about the Potter and Slytherin lines?

The question was, did his Dad know about it and approve it? If he didn't know, then who had access? Of that set, who had a reason?

He didn't think Harry was going to like this at all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry was all for making this work, but he wasn't sure he could keep his secrets to himself if he met with Malfoy Sr. Malfoy Jr. was bad enough, but to meet them both- well, at least he got to pick the place and time. And he really did want to know what they found out. Saturday was good, at the park. Surrounded by children playing ought to keep them on their toes. He sent the owl back with the time and date, Sat. at 2:00, with a warning to take care of his snake or they would regret it.

He hoped he sounded menacing enough. He felt like he was trying to strike a deal with the devil. Maybe, in a way, he was.

As the Malfoy owl flew out his window, Pigwig flew in. Harry felt a surge of hope. Ron wouldn't let him down! He snatched the hyper owl out of the air and took the letter, losing all interest in the owl as he rolled out the paper flat.

His heart caught in his throat. Why was there always more?

_Harry,_

_Purebloods all have books on genealogy. Your name and Slytherin's have been removed from ours. I don't know if Dad knows, didn't want him to know I knew if he did._

_Purebloods usually only have one heir, which they guard and cherish. And never let go of. Once acknowledged as an heir, the person is basically owned by their Lord until the Lord dies and the Heir takes over. Heirs are always male in the oldest lines, and there are magics at play that prevents that from changing._

_The Heir ritual makes the claiming of an heir official, but I can't look up whether or not your Dad managed to have it done before he died. The ritual can be done with blood and/or magic. Blood means the heir only inherit's the name, magic means the family magic is passed on to the heir. Both are usually used. You see, used to be a bloodline would claim the most promising magical child as their own, making them of their blood and magic with the ritual, which would be the same as if they were Father and Son. It was outlawed by the Ministy centuries ago because of the chaos it caused. Imagine going to sleep, waking up to find yourself in another family altogether._

_Another side effect was the heir became property of the Lord. The magic of the Line, depending on how powerful, would not allow the Lord to harm the Heir, or allow the Heir to harm the Lord. All sorts of injunctions could be added to the ritual, like no disobeying the Lord, no moving away, no marrying anyone not approved by the Lord, no changing your name. You get it? This does not make for happy heirs and became one of the reasons it became unpopular._

_I assume, since your parents went into hiding, that your father would have secretly performed the ritual. I figure the enchantments he could have placed on you would have been strong enough to protect you from the killing curse. After all, it depended on the wording of the ritual._

_Which must have been used because all evidence of your family has been removed._

_What was there to hide unless it was illegal?_

_Wish I had more, but you need a Pureblood Genealogy Book of Names that hasn't been tampered with._

_I wouldn't tell Dumbledore if I were you. It takes an awful lot of magic to change the books. My Dad wouldn't have been able to do it, and the book's magic is tied to the Weasley line._

_I am with you mate. Don't forget!_

_Ron _

It seemed the more time Harry spent trying to have a normal life was exactly parallel to how much crazy there was in his world. He was glad the meeting with the devil and his spawn was already set up. He needed some answers.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry slipped out of 4 Privet Drive under his invisibility cloak, trying hard to make no noise at all. The way he figured it, since Professor Dumbledore didn't want to tell him why Voldemort wanted him dead, he was going to actually trust the Malfoys with what really happened under the school. He was sure they would be riveted.

He quickly scanned the playground as he made his way to the corner, wondering if the offer of an exchange of information would be enough to get him what he wanted.

It looked like he wouldn't have long to wait as he watched the out of place aristocrats of the wizarding world trying not to rub elbows with the muggle children. The looks on their faces when the O'Malley twins ran around them singing their latest play song was absolutely hilarious.

Maybe laughing out loud at them would not be a good idea. You know, trying to keep the peace and all.

He waited until they had found a bench suitable and sat down, then proceeded to sneak up behind them. No time like the present to start protecting himself.

"…tell him? Surely not everything he wants to know. How will we control him if we tell him all?"

"It depends on whether or not he can actually talk to snakes. I will find this out first because what we tell him depends on this one truth. Follow my lead, my son, or allow me to do all the talking. We must tread carefully until we know."

"What if it is true Father? I would like to tell him the truth myself, then, if he is a parselmouth."

"We shall see. If it is true, he will be dangerous. Such power, untrained- First we must know."

"What if he fakes it?"

"My way of discerning the truth is failsafe. He cannot fake the results. I take it you will have no problems befriending him if it is true?"

"No problems, Father. We have been sparking off of each other ever since we met, but it won't be hard to be his friend. I hold him in some respect already."

"Really? I find that hard to believe. Is there something that you need to tell me?"

At this, Draco dropped his head. "I'm sorry, Father, but I have kept this to myself. You see, I can feel his magic pulling on mine. It makes me feel comfortable. I feel as if I already know him, when I have never had a decent conversation with him before." He looked back up to his Father. "I never wanted anyone to know."

Lucius looked in surprise at his son. "Draco, this is a rare privilege. It means your magic is compatible to his." The wonder in his voice was real. "You will be able to cast spells together, increasing the strength of your magic. You must make peace with him, ensure his cooperation. An alliance between your future offspring would join the magic of two very powerful families. Why, you could rule the wizarding world with such power at your disposal." His grin was positively feral. "With the help of your Father, of course."

"Of course, Father. Does this mean it is true?" Hope was shining in his eyes. It would change everything.

"We must gain control of him no matter what, now. Especially if it is true, then our position with the Dark Lord will be secured." His smile was smug. "We will be powerful either way, my son. Powerful."

They fell into a watchful silence, waiting for Harry to appear. Harry was still struggling with his shock, standing behind them, wondering what the horrible truth was. Powerful? Dangerous? He was beginning to think he was a weapon of some sort that everyone wanted to own, but denial was his for as long as possible. After all, it could be an elaborate joke just to freak him out. A boy could hope.

He pulled his invisibility cloak off quietly, then walked around to the front of the bench. Time to face the music. He lifted his head and looked Malfoy senior in the eyes.

"What do I not know?" As he waited for a response, Lucius Malfoy tapped the air by his side with his cane, causing a basket to appear. Harry looked around to see if his magical display was noticed.

Lucius set the basket in front of Harry. "There is no need to worry, I cast a notice-me-not charm on us before we came here. You were only able to find us because you were looking for us." He placed his hand on the handle on top of the basket. "Focus your attention on the basket, Mr. Potter, and I will answer all your questions."

Harry stepped back as Mr. Malfoy removed the top of the basket. How come everything the evil git did was so graceful? It wasn't fair.

All of his thoughts stopped as he watched a long, graceful snake slowly rise out of the basket. A long, poisonous snake, judging by the flare of its hood. As the panic in his belly rose, Slither responded by appearing in front of him, in a state of rage.

Slither was now sporting a pair of arms, which he threatened the poisonous snake with while hissing a stream of foul snake words.

'_Disgraceful!! To attack the Chosen of the Heir of the First!' _The snake in the basket slowly began to close its hood. _'The power I have to punish you is boundless! I shall remove your magic and absorb it! I shall remove your eyes and replace them with stones!' _The snake closed its hood all together, then made a deep, graceful bow.

'_Ancient One, I meant no disrespect. I am here only to taste the magic of your chosen to see if it matches that of my Master.' _The snake placed its head on the ground at Harry's feet. _'I meant no disrespect. I swear it! Please forgive me.'_

Slither was mollified. He landed on the ground in front of the snake, placing one of his new hands on its head. _'Speak your name, and swear allegiance to me.'_

'_My name is Nagini, and I swear my allegiance to the Heir of the First. Spare me, I beg of you! My Master still has need of me, for he lives without a body.' _Harry was stunned. This was Voldemort's snake! He turned accusing eyes to Malfoy Sr.

'_I will you spare you, little one. Understand, this human is my magical conduit. I have fed his core to capacity, he has fulfilled the Awakening. Take heed and remember!' _Slither then flew up to Harry, lovingly wrapping his tail around Harry's neck.

Harry never took his eyes off of Malfoy Sr. "Test my Magic?" He didn't register the shock that crossed the face of Malfoy Sr. "This is your failproof test?! Nagini tasting my magic?!" Malfoy's face now registered shock, then a calculating glee. "Voldemort's snake is your oh so perfect test? You are one sick bastard. If it hadn't been for my snake, I could have died! She is poisonous, you know."

Lucius' smile became arrogant. "Perhaps you could tell me what she said before I apologize." Draco looked at his father in confusion.

Harry was still indignant. "She swore allegiance, I think to my snake. Something about being an Heir of the First. Before you ask, I don't know what that means. He won't tell me."

The look on Malfoy's face was now comical. "Are you sure? Heir of the First?" Was he excited? "That is what he said?"

Harry snorted. It was obvious he knew what was going on. "I take it you know what he means. Tell me what you know about my heritage, what Slither meant by this 'Heir' business, and I will tell you what happened under the school with the Sorcerer's Stone." He hoped that would be enough leverage. Who knew what the sneaky man really wanted?

Lucius Malfoy carefully considered which direction this conversation needed to go. How much information did Potter have to have for this to work out in his favor? He also needed to consider Draco's revelation about his magic. This could be the best thing to ever to happen to the Malfoy family. If those Griffindor tendencies could be removed, or at the very least, leashed. Perhaps Draco could be the collar. "Here is not the place to have this discussion. I will tell you all I know, but then you will have a decision to make. One that will change the face of the wizarding world. Name the time, but I insist the place be protected with the fidelius. I wish to meet at Malfoy Mannor. To help you feel safe, please bring an advisor of your choice. Keep in mind the advisor must be powerful, and knowledgable about pureblood beliefs, practices, rituals, and money management. Choose carefully, choose soon, for you are being cheated of your rightful inheritance."

He rose off the bench, motioning for Draco to follow him. "Owl me soon, young Potter, we have much to discuss."

He couldn't just leave after dropping that bombshell, could he? "Wait! How do I know you're not setting me up? You know I've been muggle raised!" Harry was breathing hard, the fear of the unknown almost overwhelming him. Malfoy had to know he had no clue!

Lucius Malfoy turned to Harry slowly, raising his wand in the air. Harry turned sideways pulling out his wand, trying to make himself a smaller target. Harry was shocked when Malfoy started to speak. "I solemnly swear on my magic, on my honor as a family of the First, that I will not harm, nor lie to, Harry James Potter at our upcoming meeting." Harry felt the tendrils of magic wrap around him, knowing he had to keep his word. He stared in silence as both Malfoys left the park, wondering what had really just happened to him. The only thing he knew for sure was that his life would no longer be the same. He was also sure that this was getting out of hand too fast for him to keep up with. They never got to the story about what happened up under the school and the Stone. Voldemort was never even mentioned. Time to find that advisor.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is fun.

I am surprised by the reviews- I was writing this for me. Sharing is good! I am happy that someone else is enjoying this as well. Thank You!

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry laid down on his bed, thinking. It had been two days, yet he still didn't know where to turn. Maybe trying to come up with someone who knew his parents wasn't the way to go. That was a bust! Everyone he asked said to talk to Professor Dumbledore. I was like a giant conspiracy to keep him ignorant. Think like a slytherin- that is what he needed to do.

What is the slytherin way? Power, money, and more power. Power couldn't help him find an advisor, but money could. And would. Time to go to the source of his money. Gringotts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry thanked Professor Dumbledore silently as he slipped past the doors into Gringotts. His invisibility cloak came to the rescue again. Did that Goblin just grin at him?

He waited until the line furthest from the door was open, then approached the counter taking off his cloak. "I would like to talk to the smartest, craftiest, most devious Goblin you have that can be hired by an out-of-his-league boy who needs to be able to outsmart a Malfoy." To say the goblin teller was surprised was an understatement.

"What, pray tell, does a school boy have to bargain a goblin with?" His smile was all toothy.

"I have money and desperation. Take your pick of what you want." He had no idea that he was making history. His quest for survival was forging a new road in the magical community. Wizards do not mix with the goblins, but what he had said made it possible for a compromise of sorts. The sort that the Ministry would stop if they knew about, because it would give a wizard out of their control power over them.

The goblin became very serious. It made a motion with its hands, and suddenly Harry had an escort of armed goblins. Well, he had nothing to lose. "Lead on, my good friends." The goblins exchanged surprised looks. No wizard had ever behaved this way with them before.

They led him to a private room, where they proceeded to put up a lot of locks, spells, and enchantments. Harry began to feel trapped, then decided it was better this way anyway. No one could get in if he couldn't get out.

After the commotion the goblins caused had settled, the goblin behind the desk in front of Harry began to speak. "I am the goblin in charge of the Potter accounts. I believe you made an unorthodox request of our teller." This goblin wanted to keep his job with the Potter accounts, and was willing to give the boy before him a bit of advice on goblin etiquette anyway. "Care to elaborate?"

Harry sat up a little straighter in his chair. This was his chance. He knew there was nothing a person in charge of money couldn't do in the muggle world. Time to see if goblins could do it better. He had a sneaking suspicion that they could.

"There is something that is being hidden from me." Harry's eyes focused on the goblin, with an intensity the goblin had never seen before. "I can speak Parseltongue," he rolled his eyes at the sounds they made because of that revelation, "and from what I understand only a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin can speak it. When I asked Dumbledore about it, he told me I was a Griffindor." The Potter account manager gave a very toothy grin at that.

"Now, I am not stupid, but I sure wanted a little more than that, especially since the sorting hat tried to put me in the house of Slytherin." The goblin grin became a very satisfied one.

"I've asked my friend Ron Weasley to check out what he could, and he checked some book that all purebloods have, only to find that the Potter and Slytherin entries had been removed in his copy of it. I owled Draco Malfoy, and his father said he would help me." Harry shifted in his seat, a little reluctant to let them know that he spied on the Malfoys, and that he was thinking of making a deal with them. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"I used an invisibility cloak to spy on them, only to hear them talking about how powerful I am and how dangerous I am untrained. I got the distinct impression that they wanted to be the ones to train me, and frankly, that is frightening." The goblin nodded his head in understanding.

"My pet snake I found out back in the garden of my muggle home, who said he found me by my magic, has now grown wings and arms." The surprise on the goblin's face couldn't be faked. "Not one explanation will he give me! He called me the Heir of the first, said something about fulfilling something and something about an awakening." He took a deep breath, then decided to go for it.

"I want to know what those somethings are! I feel as if I am being manipulated by everyone in any position of authority over me, and I am getting nothing out of it." Maybe he should tell them the reason he wanted some control of his life back?

He took another deep breath and calmed his racing heart. "To tell you the truth, Voldemort wants me dead." He rolled his eyes at their spastic reaction. "Does everyone fear that bastard? Shouldn't you already know this? Or does his name just make you twitch?" Time to use some of that slytherin cunning he suppressed for the respect of being called a Griffindor.

"I came here because I thought goblins would be above this crap. If you aren't, there is nothing you can do for me." He sighed deeply, them steeled himself to go on. "Here it is in a nutshell. I - don't - want - to - die. I want to live! And live well! Can you help me?"

He felt hope for the first time since facing Voldemort at the look of satisfaction on the goblin's face. Once again, hope springs eternal for the Boy-Who-Lived.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry waited for the goblin to say something. Anything. It had already been a few minutes of silence, and he was starting to worry. Would they help? Were the goblins around the room actually smiling at each other? What was that about?

"Mr. Potter, my name is Clawhand." Now they were getting somewhere. "I feel we can come to a satisfactory agreement. That is, if you don't have the hindrance of a conscience." Harry's eyebrows raised.

"Could we discuss these actions first," he tried to be confident; really he did, "before anything is done that I might feel bad about?" He added quickly, "if I were just a little bit Griffindor?" He hoped he didn't sound whiney. Were they _laughing_ at him now? He was such an idiot. Asking aggressive creatures known for their love of violence for help. What an idiot.

"Mr. Potter, we would be glad to help." Maybe not such an idiot after all.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't think this story will have any ships. I want to concentrate on Harry.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry left Gringotts in a daze. To have such power at your fingertips, to use it whenever and however you wanted- and he wanted. And it scared him. If the goblins could do half of what they were talking about, he would be a free man. He could do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life! And he could make those around him do what he wanted, too.

The price was kinda steep, though. He didn't really think he would do a good job of running the wizarding world. He knew he would do a better job no matter what than Voldemort even thought of. Voldemort was crazy.

The globins only wanted him to leave them alone, to stop the Ministry from regulating them, in return they would catapult him to power through the fingers they seemed to have in every pie.

Of course, he wouldn't make a habit of offing those who disagreed with him. That alone would endear him to the populace. Of course, they already thought of him as their Savior.

Before this was over with, him being their Savior would be the least of their problems. In place of a Savior, they would have an absolute Ruler. He was going to depend on Ron and Hermione to help keep him grounded.

The goblins made an unbreakable vow with him, and he with them. They would never hinder one another, only claim neutrality if they didn't agree with each other.

He was optimistic. Maybe his friends could help him find a middle ground. He was sincerely hoping that absolute power did not corrupt absolutely, or they were all in trouble.

Because he was gonna do it. He was taking his life back by force, and there were some who weren't gonna be happy about it.

Oh well.

After the goblins had shown him their ancient tome of Pure Blood Genealogy, he realized why Ron's copy had been tampered with. Next to each entry's Family Name, was the power to which each bloodline was known for. It enabled the 'proper' mixing of power by the elite, to get combinations that ensured the powerbase of those who possessed it. Only two could be combined at any one time with one being dominant over the other, unless they were of one of the First Families. First families tended to blend. They were, of course, Griffindore, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

No one could read the powers named, because it was written in Parseltongue.

No one could read the footnotes, which were a special shorthand created with magic by Ravenclaw.

No one could read which power mixes that were the most successful, because they were camouflaged by Griffindor.

No one could read the lines of the First Families because they were hidden in back of the book by Hufflpuff.

Only an heir of each of their lines would be able to see, and interpret, what the founders had done. This way they would have to work together to keep magic strong.

There was no way the falling out could have been predicted. They were the best of friends, but they did seem to keep to themselves. They never mixed their lines. It seems it must have happened by accident, over time, as the lines forgot where they came from.

Dumbledore must have known, or had an idea, of what the book really said. He was the only one with the chance and the power to change Ron's copy. No one would else would have known why, or could begin to guess because no one has been able to read the power next to each name for centuries.

He bet Voldemort could. If he had ever read that damned book, he would have known what he needed to do to ensure his power base. Just mix his power over snakes, which extended to power over all animals to some degree, with the power over the elements. With those two, you basically controlled everything. The question was, did he have any of the other founder's blood running in his veins? If he did, then all he had to do was get a body, because taking over the world would be easy with that knowledge of the founders' powers.

It was amazing what the goblins told Harry they would do for him if he would just read to them what those powers were. Easier to manipulate families if you knew what they were capable of. He dutifully read to them each families' power, since they were all pureblood elitists abusing their positions in the Wizengamot. A bit of control of their assets by goblins couldn't be a bad thing.

He asked to borrow the book, since no one else could figure it out. They agreed, even when he told them he didn't know if the rest of the information in there was safe even for him to know, much less the goblins.

They took no offense at his comment, smiled their toothy smiles, and said they would settle for an oath from him about their responsibilities in his 'brave new world'. He had agreed readily, figuring he had got off easy.

The had all they wanted from it, they didn't need it anymore.

You see, Voldemort was a cross of Slytherin and Ravenclaw. The last of that mix. The lines had all but died out, leaving only one other mix. Lily Evans, who was a mix of Griffindor and Hufflepuff. She was hidden in the muggle world, no one knew! But the founders had their magic set up where it would be written in the back of the book automatically.

That was where he found his name as well.

Harry James Potter. Mother, Lily Evans Potter. Father- it just wasn't fair- was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle. All this time, what he was told was 'you look just like your Dad,' 'you are James Potter all over again.' Why did everyone who knew his Dad, tell him he looked like him, when he wasn't a true Potter? Did he have the Potter name because his Dad adopted him? Did he even know Harry wasn't his real son?

The only question was, did Voldemort know? Was that the reason he tried to kill him? Did he think Harry was the last mix, and had the power to find him and stop him? Because Harry could. All he needed to do was call on the magic of the founders.

Turns out that is what Griffindor was known for, stopping dark wizards, that is. He was the leader of the four for a reason. Seems he gave them all the ability to mix their powers. What Griffindor gave them, Harry could learn to use, but he was going to need help.

The problem was, Harry had always wanted a family. Looked like now, against his idea of what a family was, he gets stuck with some guy he never heard of. He needed to find him. All he has ever wanted was a family, and he wasn't going to pass up the chance at one now. But if he found him, he would just be making him a target for Voldemort, and could lose him before he got to know him. That is if he wanted a bastard son. Purebloods were so picky about those things, you know.

Fate really was a bitch.

To give himself that chance to live, he had to take over the wizarding world while keeping Voldemort from killing him, figure out how to use his powers, and keep from turning evil himself.

He was going to need a polished, powerful politician as an ally who knew how to go about this. He was going to have to strike a deal with Malfoy.

Time to pull out the snake act again.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry it has been a while. My Dad died, and I quit writing. I had lost the heart for it. If I goof, let me know. I'll fix it up. Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own, just playing.

Harry had had enough! He needed to get his relatives off his back. He was given so much to do that he didn't even know when he would have the time to write the Malfoys. Stupid muggles!

He wiped the sweat off his brow, and considered his options. He could just disappear again, but that was why he had an impossible amount of chores to do now. Until he could leave them, it was better if he stayed on their good side. Well, as close as he could be, considering how he was a freak.

Maybe a quick scare? No matter what, he needed to talk to Malfoy, and soon. Both of them. The goblins had given him instructions, and he had every intention of following them to the letter.

Time to write a letter! He used wandless magic and finished his chores. Simple enough. Now to the letter he had write. He was ready to set everything in motion, the sooner the better.

He slipped upstairs, carefully stepping over the squeaky step, checking to make sure he wasn't seen. Using magic to finish might earn him a beating, but if he was gone when they discovered it they just might not figure it out.

He sat down at his desk, and twirled the quill for a minute. How to start? He ended up just asking for a meeting. He wondered what the looks on their faces would be when they saw he wanted to meet them at Gringotts, instead of Malfoy Manor. He also wondered if they would tell him no, since he had never heard of anyone meeting in a Gringott's guest meeting room after hours. As a matter of fact, he hadn't known you could meet anyone there other than in the lobby.

He really was ignorant about the workings of the wizarding world.

He wanted to blend into the background when he ran the world (he sounded arrogant to his own ears, wonder what others would think), he had to have a Malfoy in his pocket. Both would be preferable, since if they worked for him they wouldn't be working for Voldemort. That was always a worthy goal.

He had a little research project he wanted Malfoy Senior to do for him, since he had contacts at the Ministry.

Lastly, he added the portkey the goblins had given him to the letter. Now, to set the rest of his 'Trying to Live' plan into motion. He sent a request with a portkey to meet with him at Gringotts to Ron and Hermione as well. Hopefully they would be able to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Time to set his grasp for freedom into motion. He could almost taste his excitement!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was ready to have that uncomfortable conversation with Slither now. That sneaky snake was keeping himself scarce, and Harry wanted to hear his reasons. He also wanted Slither's take on what the snake actually was, since Harry had no idea. The Goblins wouldn't tell him either, only that 'such as he would make a good protector.'

They probably meant he could protect Harry from the devious Malfoys, but Harry was going with the unbreakable vow. That was the way to go. No one ever broke one, because they would lose their magic and have to live as a muggle. After having a taste of magic, who would want that? Certainly not a Malfoy.

"_Slither! Where are you? Time to come out and talk to me." _Harry stopped to listen, hoping to hear a reply.

"_Slither! Come out now! I need to know what you know!!"_ This was nuts. How was he going to find out about magic reservoirs, first snakes, and Slither's weird ability to grow limbs? Slither had looked like an ordinary garden snake when Harry found him. He wondered if sharing his meager meals with the snake somehow warped him. Made Harry feel warped. Nothing like starving though to make you appreciate a meal.

Speaking of, he was hungry. Time to give up on finding that damn snake to find a meal instead.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry waited in the private meeting room at Gringotts with an intense feeling of anticipation. This was where he laid it all out, and he didn't know if he was up to the challenge. Keeping up with all of the plots made him feel like a character in a cheesy movie, making everything seem more like a game than a plan to change his future.

He looked up as the door opened, and Ron and Hermione came in. He was meeting with them first, to lay out his plans. His best friends were his insurance.

His smile was bright, almost too bright. "Hey guys. I am so glad you're here. I've had the most interesting time lately." They took seats across the table from him, ready to talk.

"Harry, your letter didn't make any sense. What were you talking about?" Trust Hermione to get straight to the point. "You know I'll help you, but I would like to know what you need me to do. I have to at least have a clue where to start before I can research anything, you know." She huffed and crossed her arms. "You look good, by the way." She sounded pleased about that.

Ron was looking pleased as well. "Right, time to tell me what you found out about your heritage." He was curious, wondering what could possibly be so important about it to merit an after hours meeting at Gringotts, no less. "Been dying to know if you had any luck. Seeing as how we are here, I have to think you found something out."

Harry relaxed a bit, and launched into his story. He waited for some negative response, about not being a Potter, or being an heir of the founders.

"Honestly Harry, I don't care who your parents were. I only care who you are, and where that book is. Friends share, you know."

"Mate, you going to tell Malfoy? Should right piss him off. Like to see that, I would. How are we going to hide all this from Dumbledore?"

Harry loved his friends.

He settled down to tell them about who was coming to this meeting, and how he wanted to out manipulate the Slytherin Prince of Hogwarts and his slippery parent.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucius Malfoy entered Gringotts with his son and heir in tow. "What is our main objective?" he asked Draco, without bothering to look at him.

"To make him swear an unbreakable vow to blend his magic with mine for his protection, because he is untrained and a danger to others." Draco sounded as if he were reciting lines of homework. "We make him feel as if people will get hurt just by being around him."

"Good. Are we going to tell him about his lineage?" Lucius straightened his gloves as he spoke, trying to make his appearance completely perfect.

"Only as a last resort. We will only tell him about it if we can't get him to swear any other way. No matter what, he must take the oath." Draco wasn't sure about this plan. If Harry became angry at their manipulation, he was likely to lose control of his impressive magic. With so much power at his command, the only people likely to be hurt would be them. It was a known truth that Draco was not fond of pain.

They followed the goblin who had met them, as prepared as they could be to control the most powerful person to be born that the magical world had ever known.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco knew it was over when he saw Griffindor's Golden Trio smiling at him when he entered the room. He could feel it in the air, and wondered if his Father was paying attention. It was well known that he was a stubborn man.

Draco was ready to cave. He knew the power Harry possessed, he knew what his Title would be when the world found out, and he wanted to be a part of it. He wondered if swallowing his pride was going to leave a foul taste in his mouth.

Harry started the play for control. "Thank you for coming. Mr. Malfoy, the goblins have a test ready for you to take to make sure that you are who you say you are, and to make sure you are not being controlled by anyone else. Please follow them."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "And my son?"

"We know him, and will test him ourselves. When you get back, we will be ready to start. Is this agreeable to you?" He could feel Ron quiver beside him, trying to hold his mirth in until Malfoy senior had left the room.

"It is unnecessary. I can make an unbreakable vow for you." He appeared a bit smug. Oh, how it bothered Harry to upset Mr. Malfoy. It must be done, however. For the greater good and all.

"I will accept nothing less than you be tested by the goblins. I trust them completely. If you want me to trust you, you will go with them now." He meant it, and Lucius could tell that he did.

It pained him to do this Harry's way, but that would only last until Harry was bound to Draco. He could let Harry have his little victory, since he would have the world. "Very well. Draco, my son, I will see you soon. Do not disappoint me." With those words, he turned smartly and left the room after the goblin who was waiting.

Draco watched his Father leave, knowing he was going to disappoint him. He turned to Harry. "I would like to say, my Father does not want you to know the truth. I want you to know I am on your side." He watched surprise cross Ron's face, but he had to wonder why Potter and Granger were not.

"You are a Mage, more than likely the most powerful one ever born. You are a direct descendant of the Founders of Hogwarts, and you probably own the school." It did feel good to know something so valuable. "Your power is a combination of theirs. You need to learn control, because soon all you will need to do is think of what you want done and your magic will do it. You should have been training from birth for this."

Time to tell him all. "My Father wanted me to have you bind yourself to me, so I could teach you control. The vow he wanted me to have you make would have given me control of your power, and then he planned to take over the magical world with it." This was easier to do than he had thought it would be. "You are also an Heir of the Magical Monarchy which makes you the sovereign of the magical world. The Magical Monarchy is directly related to the Muggle Monarchy, and as such you could rule in the muggle world as well. It is a given that when the Ministry finds out, Fudge will try to stop you or convert you."

Time to test the waters. "I would suggest just taking over. The Ministry as it is, is useless. Throw them out. Set up your own powerbase. Put the people you want in the positions of power in the Wizengamot. Or you could just disband the Wizengamot too. Bunch of idiots they are, anyway." Now, time for the pride swallowing. "I am a descendant of one of the Firsts, and my magic hums around you."

He could see Harry's confusion, and hoped this was going to work. "That means, we are distantly related, and also that you can harness the control I have on my magic to learn to control yours quickly. Or you could skip the learning part and just harness the control I have and use it for yourself." There. Time sit and wait, and hope.

"How do I harness your control?" Harry asked quietly, with a bit of hope in his voice. He knew he was gaining power every day, but the thought he could lose control of it and hurt others made him slightly nauseous.

Draco gingerly sat down in a conjured chair directly in front of Harry, leaned forward, and looked him directly in the eyes. "Instead of you, I make the vow. It would make me your second in any duels, and bind me to you for life. I would always have to be somewhat close to you, our magic would demand it. We could no longer be at odds with each other, as your goals, your safety, would become mine. I am willing to do this." He took a deep breath, and continued. "I am willing to even pledge my firstborn to you, if you will have me." He swallowed. And fell to his knees in front of Harry. "My King."

Draco missed the looks exchanged by the Golden Trio over his bowed head, so he had no idea he had just agreed to the plan they had painstakingly worked out to control _him._ They were all stunned when Slither appeared, and placed a glittering paw on Draco's head, while sitting on Harry's shoulder.

'_I, Slither, last of the line of the first Snake of the powerful Merlin, do so accept the Malfoy Heir into the service of my Master. On magic herself, so let it be.' _Magic filled the air around them, becoming the very air that they breathed. Harry and Draco could feel the binding of their magic; Draco felt the pull of a vassal to his Lord, while Harry felt Draco's control settle under the top layer of his magic, giving him a boost of confidence.

In the silence that followed, only Harry dared to speak.

"That went well."


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry it has been so long. I'm finding it hard to carry on. Depressed a bit, but that's life. I had to update because of the last reviewer was insistant that I do so. Here it is! Please, enjoy.

And remeber, I only borrowed these characters. They beong to JKR.

Lucius Malfoy considered himself to be a very bright, charming, powerful man. He knew he had lost control somewhere along the way, the goblins were stalling. The things he needed to see to, to talk to them about, this 'proof ' they needed, was nothing. He knew it. They knew it.

He stood up. "I know that you are stalling me." His chin rose in the air. "I even have a good idea of why. I will return to the meeting room now, you can not stop me." He turned gracefully, his robes flowing around him as he headed for the door.

The goblin guard at the door gave him a big, sharp toothed smile. He had already felt the magic of the binding, and knew the goblins interests had been protected. "Of course, Lord Malfoy. Right this way." And just that quickly they let him go.

He passed two more goblins on the way, both who gave him that same feral smile with a shallow bow. He was getting worried.

Then it dawned on him. There was only one reason the goblins would be so satisfied; they must have the coup of the century. That means they feel that they are on the winning side, with power to spare. Perhaps they bound Potter's magic to themselves? Surely wizard magic was too different for them to use. They were notoriously greedy, and power hungry. Only a Malfoy truly respected the lengths someone would be willing to go through for both.

He quickened his steps.

Lucius paused at the door, took a deep breath, then opened it slowly. And saw Slither. And realized he would not be the power guiding the throne. But if he played his cards right, there was still a chance he could be the power behind the throne.

He looked at his son, on his knees before Potter. Already dirtying his knees to gain the power Lucius craved for himself. "Am I too late to stop this?" he asked, genuinely curious. He already knew Draco was now going to have his place as the power behind the throne. Well, even advisors needed advising.

Draco looked up at his father. "I have made my choice, sworn my allegiance." The unspoken question lingered in the air. "What is yours?"

How blunt. It was not very Malfoy, but it was Griffindor. And a Griffindor was who he was asking the question for. Sort of. Draco disappointed him again. Was the boy doing this to him on purpose? He imagined he was enjoying having his Father in such a position.

Lucius turned all his attention to Harry, trying to feel for what he was wanting. Best to give him what he wants without having to ask, it would put him into a better light. And maybe help him keep his dignity. He got the impression Harry wanted complete submission. Lucius was not a submissive man. Well, he hadn't been until the Dark Lord. However, if he wanted the favor of the most powerful up-and-coming wizard in the world, who now basically owned his heir, to at least let him have some level of control of his future, he would have to put the Dark Lord in second place behind this boy. Perhaps, he could turn the boy dark. His power would be incomprehensible. Someone needed to be a voice of reason in his future besides the goblins and his wayward son. Maybe he could be a something of a parental figure to him?

He never wanted less to bow before someone, but never needed to more. What to do? There really was only one option.

Lucius Malfoy, great scion of the Malfoy line, a Lord above others, respected and feared by almost all, slowly sank to his knees.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat across the table from Draco and Lucius. Harry knew it was time to get the ball rolling on a Dumbledore free future. "Mr. Malfoy, I would like you to look into the records at the Ministry to find out all you can about a man named Tom Riddle." Harry noticed Lucius' notrils flare just a bit. "It seems he is my real Father, and I have plans for the future that he might change if he knew. I need to know if he is still alive, if he knows about me, if he has a chance to gain any kind of custody over me since I am still underage, and if he is a supporter of Dumbledore." There, he didn't imagine it. Now his nostrils were flared, and his eyes wide. He had the decency to keep his mouth closed, but now Harry was curious. He was known for his curiosity.

"You know who he is, don't you." Harry waited.

"Tell me what you know." He reinforced his request with a bit of magic. Maybe that would shake loose whatever Malfoy knew. He watched as Lucius opened his mouth, and then shut it again.

"Really, WHAT?" He waited while Mr. Malfoy, the most composed and elegant man he had ever met, regained his composure. It must be good information for Mr. Perfect to lose it.

"Come on, spill." Harry threw some truth magic at him, so Lucius could feel the compulsion in Harry's voice. Lucius wasn't sure how he was going to say this, but it sure had to come out now. His shock was wearing off, but fear was beginning to take its place as he fought the compulsion. It just couldn't be true, but he could feel that it was. He could see similarities he hadn't noticed before. The turn of the head, the shape of the eyes. There was no one who would ever connect the two unless they knew, but knowing made it obvious. Lucius saw his chances of turning the boy dark and being a father figure slip away. The Dark Lord would want his heir. No Lord of a line would pass up such a powerful heir, even if they had to use magic to bind them. And he would have too, Harry still was too much Griffindor, although he had proven to harbor hidden Slytherin tendencies. There was no place for Lucius in this, unless it was to serve. He would never survive the jealousy and possessiveness of The Dark Lord. He might place himself higher up on the Death Eater chain of command if he were the one to tell the Dark Lord. After all, the Slytherin Lord, as far as he knew, was unable to have anymore children. The rituals he had performed…

Harry knew the slimey slitherin was planning on hiding what he knew. His eyes narrowed. His whole life had been turned upside down, and he damned well would find out what the git knew. His anger built, pushing at his control, but he could feel Draco automatically reaching out with his magic. Their magic meshed, giving Harry control of his anger. He was now able to reign in his magic, conscious of every detail of everything happening around him; able to tell who was breathing in, who was breathing out; able to actually see, smell, and feel that Lucius was trying to hide something that Harry had every right to.

His anger was tangible. It made Lucius feel fear.

Harry found that he could taste it. He was surprised to find that he liked it.

Slither responded to Harry's unspoken command, descending on the Malfoy Lord breathing fire.

Harry felt his anger lessen just a bit in his surprise. That was new. Fascinating. What the hell was that snake, anyway?!?

Now Harry felt intense satisfaction as Lucius fell to his knees begging for mercy. Slither landed on the table in front of Harry with a smug shake of his head and flick of his tail. Were all snakes arrogant? Nevermind.

"You will tell me now, or you burn." Slyther leaned forward just a bit, to reinforce his willingness to help Lucius decide.

Lucius looked up at Harry from his position of abject humiliation with an awakening respect. He really did not want to be the one to tell him who his father was. Harry's manipulation of this situation proved to him that there really was more to him than met the eye. He knew though, it wouldn't help Lucius when he found out the man who murdered his mother was the Dark Lord.

He most certainly did not want to be near him when Harry realized this, and realized the power he wielded when in a rage was Slytherin. Lucius had been on the receiving end often enough. Harry truly was his father's son.

Lucius was facing the most powerful Mage to have ever lived, especially now that Draco was bound to him. Said Mage had a flaming, flying snake as a familiar with appendages. The Dark Lord was going to have his hands full with this one, even with an heir binding ritual.

Harry was noticeably angry. Lucius did not want to be on the receiving end of it.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is the most powerful dark lord to have ever lived." He watched as confusion crossed Harry's face. If Harry would just figure it out on his own, it might save him some pain.

Hermione froze from shock. She truly was a smart witch, shame it was wasted on a mudblood. Ron was clueless, and a true waste of pure blood.

Draco knew what Lucius was trying to say, and Harry felt that knowledge through their link. He was shocked, denied it, felt the truth of it. Then he quickly stood up. Then sat back down.

He looked at Ron, then Hermione.

Best just to get it out in the open. "Ron, it's Voldemort." Ron's shock was just as palpable as Harry's.

"What?" Ron didn't know what to say. He knew Harry was good through and through, would stay that way, probably; but this, how could he be truly free to choose his own way? How much could Harry take before he broke?

Harry stood slowly, his hands shaking. He gripped the table, tilting his head forward as he thought.

He started all this because he wanted to live. He agreed with the goblins for the chance to choose his own way and to be free. He courted the Malfoys because to be free took power. He had everything he needed now for all that, but the one thing that meant more to him than living.

He wanted a family. Always had. Someone to love him, to accept him, to be his refuge in this crazy wizarding world. To find he had one, a father, somewhere, who was alive. Alive, but nothing more than a spirit. And completely evil. Totally, completely evil.

Harry sat heavily. His head slowly fell to the table. Slither placed a paw on his head, hoping to give him some comfort. Then Slither spoke.

"_I feel your desire for family. You hold more power in your core than the Dark Lord does in his. Why not just provide him a body, then make him accept you? No Lord who has no body would dare turn away an heir. He must have dabbled in great dark magic to manage life with no body. He might not be able to make another heir. He would not want to lose his magic as a Lord to you by denying your rights as an heir. Magic has so decreed an heir has rights of his own. No Lord may kill his heir unless magic agrees there is just cause. An heir has a right to food, clothing, shelter, training, and care from the Lord. Give him what he wants in exchange for what you want, then learn to get along to form a family together."_

Harry listened, as a bit of hope blossomed in his heart. He could maybe do this. If he could let go of his hate for Voldemort, there was a chance.

"_Slither, if a Lord may not kill an heir unless magic allows it, would magic having said something like no to Voldemort be why his body was destroyed when he tried to kill me?"_ It could be, it made sense.

"_Only if he didn't know you were his heir, and he were powerful enough to survive the backlash." _Slither knew magic was not always so forgiving, but if the Dark Lord didn't know, perhaps she would have let him exist for a chance to redeem his mistake.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. They nodded at him. He knew now that they would support him no matter what. He did know how to pick his friends. He then turned to his newly acquired set of Malfoys. He knew how to pick his politicians.

Now time for niceties now. "I need a plan for Voldemort to find out who I really am without it coming from me. If he seems to be accepting, I think I might try for the family thing. Always wanted a real one. Wanted to survive this war anyway, maybe this would be the way. Stands to reason if he wants an heir, he won't kill me, I get to live, and maybe get a father." He gave Lucius and Draco a pointed stare. "You two are gits, but manage a good relationship. What do you think?"

Lucius looked at Draco. Then back to Harry. "There is a bonding ritual for heirs that would prevent any attempt from the Dark Lord on your life, but it has to be done willingly by both the Lord and the Heir. It forges a bond." He knew the way of the pureblood. The Dark Lord would want his heir. "It would give you a place to start."

Harry took a deep breath. He knew if he tried this, he would have to talk fast at first just to get Voldemort to listen. Wait, he didn't need to do it himself. Let someone else do it! What was the point of going this far to die now?

"Lucius, time to start."


	10. Chapter 10

Here is my next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Not mine, just borrowed.

Lucius left Gringotts, thinking quickly. He needed to get the ritual room at Malfoy Manor prepared, and he had to find a way to contact the spirit of Tom Riddle. The Dark Lord needed to know everything, and he needed to find out before Harry Potter got his hands on a book about rituals. He had the perfect ritual in mind, and with only a few alterations control over Potter would go to his Father, as it should be. All Lords should have the training of their heir, and with the power Potter possessed, that could only be done by controlling the power. Wouldn't want him losing control when he didn't like the discipline meted out during training, since his son was providing control for Potter now. Hotheaded Griffindor needed to embrace his Slytherin side, or his lack of respect and decorum would get Draco punished.

If he managed to complete his plans, He would be back in power, and his son would be protected as the bonded of his Lord's son. It is a good thing that promising fealty to the Son is interchangeable with promising fealty to the Lord. Merlin, he hoped they did not figure that out. He knew it was part of the training he had planned for Draco this summer, so Potter should not be tipped off yet. He had much to do, and knowing that Granger child, he would not have much time to do it in.

He absently wondered if he should start calling Harry Potter Lord Riddle, Heir Voldemort, or even Prince Voldemort. He was royalty of sorts, after all.

* * *

As Lucius Malfoy was using rituals to find the Dark Lord, Harry Potter was sitting in the Park with his new Malfoy, trying to plan his next step with Ron and Hermione.

"Look mate, this all gives me the collywobbles. I know you're good and all, but trying to make a family out of V, V-V, Mr. Evil, just won't work. Why don't you just claim your titles, then Dumbledore can't touch you anyway." Ron was trying to think of all the angles, but was stopped short by the cold fear in his belly. "The Evil Man is, well, Evil incarnate. He just won't make a good father for you, no matter what you do. I bet he could talk you in circles until you don't know who you are anymore. My father told us that he was a master at manipulation, and many a good person was turned by his gilded words. If they didn't turn, they were killed!" Ron was worried Harry would put on blinders and not see the evil in his choice of Father figure because of his need for a real family, then he could be destroyed by that evil and remade by the closest thing to the devil that the wizarding world had. He doubted seriously that anyone would like what he would become. "What would he do to you, if you didn't agree with him, but he couldn't kill you for it?"

Harry suddenly felt his age. How was a kid like him supposed to do this? It had seemed like he could do anything, with Slither telling him he was so powerful. Even the book tried to tell him he was something special, but all he'd really seen in all of it was his way out. Just where had it become hard to give everyone what they wanted so he could be free? Where had that feeling gone, of knowing exactly what he was doing? He supposed doubting yourself was normal from time to time, but his confidence; well, he really needed it now.

"I don't, well I just…I don't know. I mean, I know, but not really. I just didn't want to fight this war. I still don't! I started this because I want to live. I don't want to be Dumbledore's tool! I don't want to be anybody's savior!" Harry was struggling, trying to get it out so they could understand. He was finding it hard to put it all into words. "I went to the goblins for money power for freedom, and they want me to take over the ministry. So I go to the Malfoys for political power to take over the ministry so I can give the goblins what they want, and the Malfoys want my magical power. Through all this, I have a familiar that was supposed to be a snake who says I belong to him!" Harry took a deep breath, rubbed his scar, then noticed the dumbfounded expressions on all of their faces. He decided to try again, he wasn't being clear enough. He needed them to _understand._

"When I clean something, I want it to be because _I_ want it clean. I want to sleep in during the summer and stay up late to watch the telly! Hell, I would be happy to just be able to do my summer assignments. I get nauseous at the thought of what Snape will do to me if I can't get them done." Harry stood up and began to pace, rubbing his scar absentmindedly. "I want to eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm tired, shower every day if I want, not worry about what I'm going to eat or where I'm going to sleep or even if I get to do either one and just once, just once, I would like to make a decision for myself! One that won't get me beaten, or killed, or become someone's ideal, or be told I'm special because someone died to save me!"

Harry sat with a huff, the wind leaving his sails. "I just want to live, guys. That's all. I want to live. I'm tired of existing. If this is all there is, then I don't want it." He looked at their faces, which mirrored sorrow, understanding, and a bit of shock. "Am I asking too much?"

At this question, Draco could take no more. He leaned forward in his need to banish Harry's pain. "Po- Harry, you are more than just a tool, you are worth more, than anyone else in the wizarding world. You are the pivotal piece of the pie. Tell everyone what you want! Demand it!! There is no one who will deny you!"

Harry's head fell forward in his hands. "I don't want to be that. How do I use this without becoming what I am trying to avoid? I just want to know how am I supposed to get away from Dumbledore, escape the Dursleys, and find a way to keep a Dark Lord from killing me?" He looked up and met Draco's eyes. "What good is power if I don't know what I'm doing? Everything I've done so far was just me trying to find a way to survive. I don't know what being a piece of the pie means, and I don't know if I care. I thought if I took over, placed you Malfoys in charge of it, had Ron and Hermione be the checks on your behavior, then I could be free Is there a chance this is going to happen the way I want?"

Draco looked at Hermione and Ron. Then he smiled a very Malfoy smile. "Well now, I believe you have at your disposal, right in front of you, the very people you were hoping to help you get what you want, to get your surviving under way the way _you_ want. You chose us, right?"

Harry nodded, starting to feel a bit of hope.

"I do believe that there is no political maneuver that can't be done by my Father. Give him time, and he will have you away from the muggles and in the magical world where you belong, out from underneath Dumbledore at the same time. He won't leave you where you are, you need to be around me all the time until you learn to control yourself. You could do so much damage if lost control because of anger or pain. You wouldn't even need me if you had been raised in a magical household in the first place. Did you know you would have learned what you needed from the very beginning if you had grown up in a magical household?! You could have seriously hurt those muggles you live with by not knowing about how magic works, much less the amount of magic you have at your fingertips. I say, let's head back to your house, then pack your trunk, and move you today to the Manor! Dumbledore himself couldn't get through our wards, and Father could push for custody of you himself. There we can organize, get things going, to get this all to work out the way you want. What do you say?"

Harry felt it then, that surge of power. It made his skin itch, needing to be let out. Even with Draco, how was he supposed to keep all this under control? He wanted his freedom from everyone, and he still felt like he was ready to take it since it wasn't going to be given to him. Leaving the Dursleys was probably a good place to start. The only question was, could he be made to go back? Dumbledore was bound to find out. What would he do when he did? What could he do?

"Ron, are the Dursleys able to make decisions for me in the magical world since they are muggles, or do I have to have Dumbledore's permission for anything I do?"

Ron thought a moment, then spoke carefully. "I think they can make all the decisions concerning you in the muggle world, but since they have no access to the magical world I don't think they can make any decisions for you there." He looked Harry in the eye. "If Dumbledore is your magical guardian, then he can make you go back if you leave the Dursleys."

"But, what if they give custody of me to someone in the magical world, but go through the the muggle world to do it? Would that be legal?"

"I believe so. We would have to find a solicitor that works in both worlds, but it might work. Worth a try, mate." Ron sounded pleased.

Draco was more than happy to have something constructive to add. "The solicitor would need to be sneaky, devious, aggressive, and incredibly intelligent. Such a one would be hard to find." Draco sounded pleased as well.

Hermione huffed. "Well, if we need one, we need one. Where do we start?"

"We don't." Draco was indeed pleased. "I send an owl to the Malfoy family solicitor. If it can be done, he will be the one to do it. It is what we pay him for, after all."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get started. I can feel the magic under my skin, and I don't want to be accountable to anyone else if I can help it when it comes out. If Dumbledore finds out I have this magic, he will want it for himself. Did I mention I want to live through this war?" He became still as he thought. "Will I be allowed to be declared an adult in the magical world? Do I need a new guardian? Or should I just disappear, and let them sort it all out?"

Draco leaned forward. "No doubt you need a magical guardian, but with our bonding, my being the Malfoy heir, and a human snake for a solicitor, there should be no problem." He stood, and formally asked permission to send Slither.

Draco gave Harry a smug smile. "In the new world we forge, which will happen no matter how you try to avoid it, I want minions."

Harry threw back his head and laughed.


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own, I just like to play. Enjoy!**

**As Harry's dark mood lightened, Lucius Malfoy writhed under the cruciatus curse. He was able to figure out that his Father must have known that the Dark Lord may have a need for a new body at some time in the future, for books expressly written for such a purpose were in Abraxon Malfoy's personal library. **

**He took it as fortuitous that a ritual room opened up off of his Father's personal library when he picked up the book. He was pleased when he realized all of the ingredients needed were provided, including the diagram and runes for the Resurrection Ritual. The only thing missing was the muggle sacrifice. However, there was even a spell listed that would lead him to the perfect live body.**

**What he was disappointed about, was how he had forgotten how painful being obedient was.**

"**Years it has been, Lucius, since I was without a body. I believe you understand how displeased I am with your lack of character?" Lord Voldemort flexed his new fingers, stretching them make them a better fit. "What do you have to say for yourself, Lucius?"**

**Lucius slowly rolled onto his belly, pushing himself to his knees with shaking arms. He never could withstand much of the Cruciatus without developing a bad case of the shakes. "My Lord, please forgive me. You have no time to waste, the rituals you need have been prepared. Please, my Lord, perform them quickly."**

**Lord Voldemort's new light green eyes flashed red with his anger. "Explain." It was not a request, and Lucius was not so foolish to treat it as such.**

**When he got to the part in the story where Harry discovered his heritage, Voldemort felt a stab of fear. Such power… When Lucius got to the part where Harry discovered who Lord Voldemort really was, he was enraged. Hiding his own son, his **_**heir**_** from him, Dumbledore would live just long enough to regret it. When he got to the part where Harry entrusted Lucius to find a way to get a Father without the evil, Voldemort smiled.**

**It was time to perform a few rituals.**

* * *

**Harry laid down in his new room at Malfoy Manor, pleased with his escape. The solicitor wasted no time, even using pensieve memories from Harry to make it a tight case. There was no contesting it. He even had had Lucius's signature on hand spelled to only be used in cases that would benefit the Malfoy name, to put on the paperwork. Harry's case had been expedited because of his 'boy who lived' status, and he officially became a ward of the Malfoy's.**

**Mrs. Malfoy was pleased to have him, after he had placed he in a ball of magic that bounced back any spell cast. She realized quickly how having him belong to her would make her the ruling queen of the pureblood circuit. Malfoys were smart, but she was also a very dark Black. Once she understood the rules, that is.**

**Narcissa had embraced him, called him her new son, welcomed him formally and informally, ensconced him in his own set of rooms, and fed him until he could barely walk.**

**She also happily blocked the flue so Dumbledore could not get through and try to get Harry back. Narcissa saw Harry's defection to the Malfoys as the end of any chance of the wizarding world to sink the Malfoys. She could taste his power, and being a proper pureblood, she respected it.**

**And she would see to it that the magical world would as well. Placing him with muggles, what were they thinking to allow such a thing? She would have the Potter's will read, finding out if they had wanted him with muggles or with a magical family. She hoped for Dumbledore's sake that he had followed the will, because if he didn't then Narcissa would be proud to make his life a living hell.**

**Such were the joys of elite.**

* * *

**In the Ritual Room, the final ritual was being performed by Lord Voldemort. Lucius was on his knees by the door, ready to flee if needed. The amount of power flowing had already exceeded the core of the Dark Lord, and Lucius could only guess that he was pulling magic through his connection to Harry to complete this version of the Heir Bonding. He was satisfied, knowing that Harry would be raised as a proper pureblood, especially since the purification ritual had been completed.**

"**I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort; call upon magic, to change the name of Harry James Potter," he cut a thin line across the palm of his hand and held it up, "since he was hidden from his Lord and Father, to Harrison Marvolo Voldemort;" he carefully dripped his blood on each corner of the naming rune drawn with basilisk venom on the floor, "to be called the Dark Prince in accordance with his title, to learn his place as a Dark Lord by my side, to be in complete subservience to his Lord and Father, until my death," Voldemort gave a smug smile, knowing he could never die as long as Harry lived, "upon our magic," Harry's own magic was binding Harry to him, since Harry was underage and as his Father he had the right to use it, "for the continuance of magic. I, Lord Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle, call it to be."**

**The magic became tangible and bright, making both men close their eyes. Lord Voldemort felt the ties to his magic seek out his son. He smiled when he felt them stop in the Manor, finding Harry and completing the binding. How simple it was turning out to be to take over the wizarding world. As the light faded, he looked at Lucius, and decided a reward was deserved.**

**As Lucius now writhed in pleasure on the floor, Lord Voldemort contented himself with the thought that there was a fine line between pleasure and pain. He was absolutely sure that Harry would tread it.**

**He threw back his head and laughed.**


	12. Chapter 12

Harry bolted upright in bed. He could feel something different, but what was it?

Slither appeared with a quiet pop, circling near the ceiling. "_You feel it too, don't you?"_ Harry asked. Maybe now, he would get some answers from his amazing familiar.

Slither settled on the foot of Harry's bed, made himself comfortable, then began to tell Harry everything. _"You are special to me Harry, you are the Heir, as am I. You are basically the Heir of Merlin, and I am the heir of his familiar. He was brilliant, you see, and he experimented with different magics, before they were considered light or dark. He made his familiar powerful by adding aspects of other creatures by infusing their magic into The One's core. The One became the ancestor of all of my race, for when we breed, our magic overcomes the magic of any snake, making a perfect replica of The One. Magic and memory are transferred, and we continue on."_

Here he paused, letting what he said sink in. _"In order to expand our core from birth to the magical core of The One, we must find and bond with the The Heir, which in my case, is you. There are other heirs, but none powerful enough to claim the connection. You, and you alone, made it possible for me to become all that I am. In return, I share my core with you. However, to protect you from degeneration from too much magic, you must share the Heir Bond with your Father. Him, I had to find to set up the circumstances to force his hand into performing the ritual. The Heir is never supposed to be raised without the basic knowledge of who he is, much less as an orphan with no knowledge of magic at all. I did all I could to protect you, feeding you emotions while you slept to make you question your situation."_ Here Slither paused, taking a deep breath. "_My task was always to protect, but in spending time with you I grew to love. I love you, my friend. To ensure your power and happiness, I encouraged a bastardization of the Heir Bond Ritual. Tom Riddle believes he now owns you, but he will be unable to use you as he wishes. You see, I laced this ritual with your core essence, which is love. He cannot force you into anything without loving you, yet when he loves you he will no longer desire to force you. In the meantime, your magic is balanced and unable to unravel, to cause you damage or hurt you._" Slither slowly approached Harry with his head hung low, knowing he was making Harry upset with all that he disclosed.

"_Please, forgive me for not telling you. None of this could work if you had prepared yourself for it, and I needed for you to be free. Now, my friend, you may do as you wish, as your conscience dictates. No one may take from you what you would not willingly give." _Slither lifted his soulful eyes to Harry, silently begging for forgiveness.

Harry was furious and touched, unable to stay angry. _"So, Riddle thinks he owns me, but he can't until he learns to love me?" _This was truly important to him. It all comes down to family. Harry wanted one, and if he didn't have to fear Voldemort, maybe there was hope, after all.

"_You are still able to be yourself, and you won't have to obey a direct order if it goes against your conscience. Everything else, you will have to do. However, when he commands you in love, you will have to obey. I am sorry, but you need him. You will, from time to time, have more magic than your body can tolerate, and he can absorb the excess. He will not even know it is happening, he will just feel good. Hopefully, he will think it is all you, and he will grow to love you quickly."_

Harry thought about it for a minute. Then it hit him, this was all well and good for a normal person, but Voldemort was anything but. He was evil. Harry didn't know if it was even possible for evil to love. Where did that leave him? And, what about poor Draco? Was he involved with this madness too?

As confusing as it all was, he was tired. The anger knotted in his stomach needed to be dealt with before he exploded or vomited. Harry wondered which it would be. Tomorrow was soon enough to find out.

* * *

When Harry woke up the next morning, it took a minute to come to his senses. Once he did, he thought he just might stay in bed. He was still angry and in no hurry to face down an evil father. He was not Luke, he didn't really think there was any good left in Voldemort. He startled when he heard voices approach in the hallway, it seemed yesterday was fixing to crash into today. Just what he wanted, more destruction in his life. Harry wondered what was wanted from him now. Did he even want to know? He looked around for his invisibility cloak.

"He is officially my child. I will see him now. I do look forward to explaining his future to him." That was definitely the evil father. Wasn't there also supposed to be an evil butler or something?

"My Lord, let me take down the wards first. They are keyed to Malfoy blood." There he was. Maybe not a butler, but close enough. Sicko, setting wards for guests keyed into his blood. He hoped spilling the blood for them hurt. And what was his 'faithful servant' doing locking him in? That knot of anger in him began to simmer.

Harry found the closet roomy enough for a boy under an invisibility cloak. He tried to breath quietly, hoping to make no noise at all. As he tried to make himself invisible, his anger began to bubble. Seemed he had spent most of his life hiding from someone or doing their bidding, and he was tired of it. His magic fed off his anger and began to stir, itching for release.

"I thought you said he had not left his rooms, Lucius." The threat in those words was not lost on Lord Malfoy. He quickly tried to save himself.

"My Lord, he has to be here. He most certainly cannot leave the manor even if he managed to leave this room. I will find him, I swear it."

When Harry heard that, he became furious. Always trapped, always wanted for someone else to kick around. And trapped in Malfoy Manor when they swore to help him! It was too much. Harry drew on Draco's stability. He knew he was dangerous and powerful, time to find out how much.

Harry released his magic and gave it free reign, asking only to be allowed to come and go as a free man. He wanted to make his own decisions without fear, damn it! His magic became a whirlwind of destruction, leaving nothing untouched.

After the wind died down, Harry took a deep breath and a good look. He was amazed at what he saw. He could walk directly into the hallway through the wall! Very satisfying. He saw no sign of the traitorous Malfoy or his evil parent, so that is just what he did.

Harry made his way down to the foyer, hoping to find some signs of life, and if he was lucky, some remorse. All he found was the front door, so he left. After all, if he couldn't trust someone who had promised to serve and protect, what did he have? He needed to make a new plan, so he made his way to Gringotts. Goblins may be creepy, but they were more trustworthy. He swallowed his anger, no need to take chances. After all, Harry still saw those toothy smiles in his sleep.

* * *

Lord Voldemort pushed aside the mattress that was covering him, rubbing at the cut on his head that he was sure was the source of his headache. He made it to his feet, then he kicked Lucius Malfoy to encourage him to get up as well. He scanned the room, unable to feel any magic but their own. Harry was the source of the destruction. The amount of magic that it took to obliterate the Malfoy wards, the destruction of magical objects, the smell of ions in the air all pointed to a very pissed off powerhouse.

Most certainly it would hurt to feel that himself, even if he couldn't be killed. Killing Harry was impossible too at this point. Lord Voldemort rolled a few ideas around in his head and made a very wise decision.

He decided to change tactics.

* * *

Harry talked fast, explaining his situation to the goblins. The nearest goblin smiled at Harry. Harry shuddered. Harry looked at them after finishing his story, since he had been staring at the floor after that goblin smiled at him. Did goblins smile to show affection, or to warn? He decided it didn't really matter as long as they didn't eat him.

"Mr. Potter, we can set you up with a credit card for the magical and muggle worlds so where you stay matters not. As long as you can pay, you will be welcome anywhere." With goblins it was always about money. He had forgotten.

"So, I can disappear if I want. I don't want to be found. Is there a spell for that?" Harry hoped so, he needed to stay away from the people he trusted for a while, and those he didn't for good.

"Of course. We don't recommend it, as it has side effects most young men avoid. However, we can place a spell on you that only allows someone who loves you or is loyal to you to be able to find you. Would that be acceptable, Mr. Potter?"

Harry was ecstatic. "Perfect! Can you cast it right away? I've always wanted to stay at an expensive hotel and be treated like royalty. I want to leave as soon as possible!"

The goblins smiled that toothy smile. "Anything for our allies, Mr. Potter. We have grown fond of you, so it will be within the hour. We will also set you up a muggle hotel, with a portkey to take you there safely. We must warn you, your guardian will be able to find you since they are responsible for your safety as well. Are you ready?"

Harry was shocked. Was he screwed if no one but Voldemort could find him? Then again, if he had a chance to prepare, no one would see their confrontation. It was bound to be humiliating for him. Everything big seemed to be. "Could you keep me hidden, say, about three days from my guardian?" That would be enough time to set a few booby traps. Non-magical means of persuasion, that is.

"Three days, mister Potter? We can give you four, but after that you will be exposed. What is your decision?" Goblins couldn't even give you good news without making you feel fear.

"Four is even better. Thank you." Harry stood up when a flurry of activity started all around him. Staying out of the way of focused goblins was a real good idea, especially when it was all for you.

A short toothy goblin silently handed Harry a sandwich with a glass of something cool. He disappeared as silently as he had come. Harry ate his food, thinking about all of this. He wanted to start over. Nothing happened the way he wanted it to. Why was his life always out of his control? To be safe in the muggle world would be wonderful, but if the only person who could find him was the one person guaranteed to make him miserable, would he be able to handle it? It seemed the only solution to getting a life of his own would be to make Voldemort love him. Since Voldemort was evil and incapable of love, there was nothing he could do. He supposed he could ride it out and expect magic to protect him. Or he could make Slither be a guard dog, since he wasn't too happy with him right now. He needed to redeem himself. Hard to stomach the fact the he was currently bound to Voldemort was Slither's fault. Stupid snake thingy. First blah, blah, heir blah, blah, Father blah, blah. Harry didn't care about all that any more.

All he wanted was to live.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry was waiting. He had set all the traps he could, but he knew they wouldn't keep out a determined Dark Lord. The goblins had given him all the time they could, but any minute now the ultimate showdown was going to take place.

He wondered if he would fare better than Batman.

Time to get serious. He got one of his favorite pops out of his fridge, sat back in the recliner conveniently located for a prime time view of the foyer. He was going to enjoy this. If this was going to be the format for the rest of his life, he was going to have some fun with it. Who could actually tell him he couldn't?

At the sound of the first proximity alarm, Harry leaned forward and grabbed a handful of popcorn. At the second, he took a drink to clear his throat while the adrenaline built. By the time the third wore off, he was on the edge of his chair- looking directly into the eyes of a very angry evil man.

Harry smiled. "Welcome. We can talk now, or we can talk after you walk through my personalized minefield. I have to warn you, if you do, that I will take pictures."

Voldemort assessed Harry. He was confident. He was completely calm. He was also a bit…excited? Just what exactly was this minefield? It wouldn't hurt him, because the boy needed him, so what could it be?

He smiled a lazy smile at Harry, and felt satisfied when Harry's disappointment at his calm demeanor came through. "Wanted me to challenge you, didn't you?" he asked. "We have more important things to do today, Harry. You have impressed me, and I assure you that is hard to do. That pit full of water and sharks was a nice touch." His smile faded to a look of confusion. "I did not know of you, but I am proud of what you managed to do without me. I find myself jealous, and wishing I had been there. Would you now consider making it permanent? I want the world to know that you are mine, and that I am your Father."

For a split second Darth Vader popped in Harry's head, but ever the optimist he pushed it away. In his case, after all, his Father turned out to be the all-powerful emperor. Goody-goody.

"I want a Father, a real one, not just something for you to use to try to control me. I'll be happy to work with you, as long as you don't try to make me do something against my morals." Harry gave Voldemort a wistful smile. "Can we try? Please?"

That stupid electrified grid just became worth it. "Yes, my son, I am willing to try."

After all, a person's morals changed often during their life. The young always seemed to have so many.

Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle, believed in morals too.

He believed them to be the only constant variable in life.


End file.
